Gaming: Metroid Prime

I was never a fan of the old Metroid game on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I found it boring and trite, even at the tender age of eight. How did this new first-person shooter version of Metroid Prime fare? Surprisingly disappointing, actually -- and not just because I had problems finishing the first level. I'm apparently not the best at the gameplay, and the "scanning"feature is a gimmick gone wrong. If you enjoy fun (and who doesn't), don't pick up Metroid Prime. -- Daniel McQuade Playing Metroid is like strapping on your very own shiny outfit, manning a bazooka, and running around till you want to vomit. If you can get past the nausia indusing movement long enough to figure out that you have to shoot the cave doors to let you out of the swamp, you get your crotch gnawed at by bugs. Mmm, crotch gnawing. That's my kind of game. -- Lehua Chong There is one great shame in my life: I was never very good at video games, especially ones like Goldeneye and Metal GearSolid. Not only was I never good at doing the exploration part of games like this, I just always, well, died. But then there was Metroid Prime. It's the perfectly designed first-person shooter: an in-game tutorial teaches you everything you need to know as the game progresses, and the controls are easily learned and logical. It's a game that is easy, but never so easy that it becomes boring, which makes it a great gaming experence for novice and advanced alike. -- Alex Koppelman Remember howGoldeneye for Nintendo 64 was the game that everyone in high school, even those who don't play games, loved? I never quite understood the phenomenon, but Metroid Prime is like an inferior, one-player only version with superior graphics. It is slow to get started and has a higher learning curve, and instead of group action, you're shooting off your rocket with your own hands.If you really want to play a game like this, try Goldeneye or the original Metroid. -- Dean Agnos